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Birds Anonymous

Directed By:		Friz Freleng
Produced By:		Eddie Selzer
Released:		August 10, 1957
Series:		Merrie Melodies
Story:		Warren Foster
Animation:		Gerry Chiniquy Art Davis Virgil Ross
Layouts:		Hawley Pratt
Backgrounds:		Boris Gorelick
Film Editor:		Treg Brown
Voiced By:		Mel Blanc
Music:		Milt Franklyn
Starring:		Sylvester Tweety Clarence B.A. Cats Sam
Preceded By:		Tabasco Road
Succeeded By:		Ducking the Devil

Birds Anonymous is a 1957 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng and starring Sylvester and Tweety.

Plot

Sylvester catches Tweety and is about to eat him when Clarence advises against it. He claims it will lead to addiction and hands Sylvester a business card for Birds Anonymous. Sylvester goes to a meeting and hears the testimony of several cats and decides to kick the habit. Back home, he turns on the television, but a cooking program featuring a roast bird tempts him. He turns on the radio to distract himself, but it plays "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob-bob-bobbin' Along". He handcuffs himself to the radiator so he can't reach Tweety, but desire overcomes him and he pulls it right off the floor. He grabs the bird but just as he is about to pop it in his mouth, Clarence shoots a plunger in Sylvester's face to stop him.

That night, Sylvester can't sleep because he is in withdrawals. "Just one," he rants, "I'll quit after just one more." He grabs Tweety and Clarence stops him again by pouring alum in his mouth, which makes him pucker so much that he physically cannot fit Tweety inside. Sylvester starts to cry about his situation, so Clarence demonstrates how to love birds without eating them. He plants a kiss on Tweety's head, but the taste of the bird overcomes him and he starts chasing Tweety himself.

Notes

This cartoon won the 1957 Academy Award for best animated short subject. Before producer Eddie Selzer died, he gave the Oscar to Mel Blanc. The Oscar is now with Mel Blanc's family. ^{[citation needed]}
This cartoon was included in Bugs Bunny's Easter Special, Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet, and Friz Freleng's Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (edited for time), which names the unnamed cat Clarence.
Unlike most WB cartoons reissued during the 1959-64 season, the original closing title is kept. This is most likely because many of the last cartoons to be reissued with altered opening titles say VITAPHONE CORP instead of WARNER BROS. PICTURES INC., because VITAPHONE dissolved in 1959.